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Sponsor a Child Today

February 20, 2019

UNICEF USA

Thinking of sponsoring a child? UNICEF has helped save more children than any other organization by giving every child the chance to thrive.

Children are malnourished in Yemen and many countries throughout Africa — Nigeria, Central African Republic, South Sudan. In Syria, Iraq and Jordan children have been driven by war into tent settlements, where without proper winter clothing, boots and blankets, they are struggling to survive the cold.

For all of them, the clock is ticking.

When children are suffering halfway around the world, it’s hard to know how to help. Do you donate to an organization like UNICEF, which seeks to solve the problems all children face, or do you look for a charity that allows you to sponsor one specific child?

Some child sponsorship programs allow donors to make monthly funding commitments to support individual children, with whom they may correspond even visit to see the impact of their support. For people who want to know they've made a contribution toward improving the life of one particular child, the idea of child sponsorship can be quite compelling.

But although child sponsorship programs have been around since the 1930s, a 2017 national study of 1,000 American charity supporters by Grey Matter Research and Opinions 4 Good, found that only 24% of respondents truly understood what it means to sponsor a child.

“Most donors are aware of sponsorship and generally positive toward it, but there is not a lot of real familiarity with how it works,” says Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research. “The interest is there, but so are doubts or concerns.”

What does it mean to sponsor a child?

It depends on the organization.

Though many organizations offer information about specific children who need help and the opportunity to keep in touch with them, that doesn’t necessarily mean that supporters’ monthly donations actually go to the child’s family. Rather, many organizations have found that they can do much more good by pooling sponsor funds in order to attack the problems facing the communities where the children live with long-term sustainable solutions.

While many child sponsorship programs now taking this approach offer donors the chance to get to know individual children in the communities where the organizations work, the children supporters correspond with aren’t always the direct recipients of donors’ monthly checks. Rather, some organizations, describe the children sponsors get to know as unofficial ambassadors for their communities.

UNICEF child sponsorship

What’s the best way to sponsor a child? After working for over 70 years to save and protect children around the world, UNICEF has found that the most effective way to help one child in a community is through sustainable solutions designed to help them all.

With a presence in over 190 countries and territories, UNICEF has helped saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care, immunizations, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more to communities at scale.

It’s that approach that has allowed UNICEF to address inequity at its root and deliver what all children need to survive and thrive.

In 2018, UNICEF and partners made a lifesaving difference for millions of children

2.6 million children were treated for severe acute malnutrition

4.7 million children were vaccinated against measles

5.9 million children exercised their basic right to an education

35.3 million children and their families were provided safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene

1.1 million people received cash transfers to support their families

3.1 million children and their caregivers received counseling and psychosocial support

3.4 million children learned how to identify and avoid landmines and explosive remnants of war

How much does it cost to become a child sponsor with UNICEF USA?

UNICEF works from the top down, partnering with governments to help shape policies and programs then making connections in communities to put them into action. That access, combined with the ability to ship supplies anywhere in the world in just 48-72 hours, ensures UNICEF can leverage resources and deliver supplies quickly and efficiently to make donor support really count.

That means donors can rest assured knowing that UNICEF will provide children with the best lifesaving supplies and programs their money can buy. See how far UNICEF can make your support go!

$1.50 = Zinc treatment for 20 children suffering from diarrhea. Diarrhea is one of the leading killers of children under age five and has been identified as one of the leading diseases among the global refugee population due to the poor water and sanitation conditions.

$10 = A year’s worth of Vitamin A supplements for 250 children. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness, plus it increases the risk of death from common diseases like diarrhea. Vitamin A is a proven low-cost intervention.

$37 = Deworming tablets for 1,000 children. Reducing the prevalence and intensity of worm infections, which can seriously impair a child’s health, helps them gain more nutrition from their food to keep them growing and learning better in school.

$30 = Pencils for 1,000 children. Pencils are one of the most basic but important supplies in a child’s education. Such simple and practical items are crucial to help children learn the skills that can lift an entire family out of poverty.

$40 = Measles vaccines for 50 children. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known and a leading cause of death among children. $40 is a small price to pay to save children's lives.

What's the best way to sponsor a child?

The single most effective way you can help UNICEF fight for every child, everywhere, is by becoming a monthly donor. A small monthly gift can make a huge difference in the lives of so many children by providing steady funding that allows UNICEF to be on the ground before, during and after a crisis, providing the protection, nutrition, health care, clean water and education children need month after month.